Sanitary movable school furniture.



T. B.STOCK'HAM. SANITARY MOVABLE SCHOOL FURNITURE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 9. I914.

Patented .May16, 1916. 2 SHEETS-SHEET l- T. B. STOCKHAM. SANITARY MOVABLE SCHOOL FURNITURE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 9, 1914.

Patented May 16, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PATENT SANITARY MOVABLE SCHOOL FURNITURE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 16, 1916.

Application filed May 9, 1914. Serial No. 837,485.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatvI, THOMAS E. S'roon- HAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Morrisville, in the county of Bucks and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sanitary Movable School Furniture, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to furniture and more particularly to sanitary movable school furniture.

The primary object of this invention resides in the provision of a school desk having a novel means associated therewith for the attachment of a school chair.

Another object of this invention resides in the provision of a novel guiding and supporting means for receiving the seat of a chair.

A further object of this invention resides in the provision of a novel retaining means associated with the supporting means for facilitating the securement of the chair and preventing the accidental displacement of the chair.

A stillfurther object of this invention resides in the provision of the device of the character described that is simple in construction, efficient in operation, and one that can be easily manufactured and placed upon the market at a minimum cost.

Other objects aswell as the nature, characteristic features and scope of this invention will be more readily understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 represents a side elevational view of the desk and chair, the dotted lines showing the chair attached to the desk. Fig. 2 represents an enlarged sectional view taken on line 22 of Fig. 1 showing the chair in position. Fig. 3 represents a fragmentary rear elevational view of the desk showing to advantage the guiding and supporting means carried by the desk. Fig.4: is aperspective view of the retaining element.

Referring more particularly to the drawings in which similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views the numeral 1 represents a desk comprising a top 2 having supporting legs 3 rigidly carried thereby the latter being provided with elastic feet 4 for preventing noise when the same is being moved about. A compartment 5 is provided beneath the top 2 and has the respective ends of the bottom piece 6 thereof provided with substantial dove tail joints 7 for engagement with the correspondingly shaped grooves 8 provided in the supporting legs 3. The side walls 9 and 10 and the rear wall 11 of the compartment 5 have their respective ends reduced as at 12 and certain of their extreme ends beveled as at 13 and fitted within the longitudinally extending grooves 1 1 in the supporting legs 3. The beveled ends 13 of the side walls 9 and 10 and the rear wall 11 are fitted together by reason of the fact that the grooves 12 in the rear legs communicate with each other and provide a substantial right angle slot as clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

A chair 15 comprising a seat 16 having front supporting legs 17 and rear supporting legs 18 rigidly connected thereto, the latter extending above the plane of the seat and curved slightly rearwardly and connected by arcuate cross bars 19 to constitute a back rest. In order to strengthen the chair cross pieces 20 are rigidly connected to the legs 17 and 18. The seat 16 extends slightly beyond the plane of the legs for a purpose to be hereinafter described. Elastic feet 21 are provided on the supporting legs 17 and 18 and greatly facilitate the silent moving of the chair from place to place.

For the purpose of detachably supporting chair 15 on the desk 1 the supporting legs 3 of the desk are provided on their inner sides at a point slightly below the bottom piece 6 with transversely extending alining grooves 22 in which are rigidly mounted supporting and guiding bars 23 which have portion of their front faces beveled at 24: to the meeting edge of the leg. The space between the upper surface of the bars 28 and the bottom piece 6 is slightly greater than the thickness of the seat 16 of the chair and the distance from the inner side of one supporting leg to the inner side of the opposite supporting leg is slightly greater than the width of the seat 16. This arrangement allows for the insertion of the seat 16 and the upper surfaces of the bars 23 form supporting guides when it is desired to place the chair in a supported posi tion on the desk as clearly shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings. It can be easily seen that the chair being in this position can be easily transferred from place to place and should it be desired to ship the same the chair and desk will occupy much less space than is usually the case.

For the purpose of retaining the chair in a supported position on the desk and for preventing the accidental displacement of the same therefrom a retaining element 25 is provided. The retaining element in this instance is preferably formed from a blank of sheet metal and consists of a leaf spring 26 which is bent substantially intermediate its ends and has its respective end portions 27 thereof arranged in spaced parallel relation with each other. An enlarged securing ear 28 is extended at right angles from one side of one of the end portions and is provided withopenings 29 for the reception of suitable fastening devices for facilitating the securement of the same to the upper outer faces of the bars 23. The

spring 26 is positioned upon the upper surr face of the bars 23, the upper portion of which is adapted for engagement with the under surface of the seat 16 when the same is slid into position upon the bars 23 and tends to press the same upwardly against the bottom piece 6 which limits the upward movement of the same. The retaining elements 25 are preferably secured to the bars 23 at points adjacent the inner ends thereof for facilitating a substantial grip for retaining the chair from accidental displacement.

Although I have shown and described a desk and a chair it will be obvious that the essential point of the chair and desk and one that I desire great stress be laid is that the distance between the front legs as well as the rear legs of the desk and the space between the upper surfaces of the bars 23 and the bottom 6 of the compartment be sufficient to allow for the free insertion of the seat of the chair. In other words the arrangement of the cross bars with the bottom of the compartment might be applied in connection with other pieces of furniture and the seat of the chair could as well be of various forms. It is only necessary that the seat and grooves correspond.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that a device is provided that contains but a few simple parts which are simple in construction and which can be easily and cheaply manufactured and when manufactured can be placed upon the market and sold ata minimum cost.

It will be understood that the above description and accompanying drawings comprehend only the general and preferred embodiment of my invention and that various minor changes in details of construction, proportion and arrangement of the parts may be made within the scope of the ap pended claims and without sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus fully described this invention what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is 1. In a desk in combination with a chair, a top, supporting legs for the top, a compartment provided beneath the top, cross bars connecting the front and rear legs for bracing the legs and for supporting and permitting a sliding movement of the chair thereon, and resilient retaining elements secured to the inner surface of the cross bars and arranged upon the upper surfaces thereof for frictional engagement with the under surface of the seat of the chair for removably maintaining the upper surface of the seat of the chair in engagement with the bottom of the compartment to prevent accidental displacement of the chair.

2. In a desk in combination with a chair, a top, supporting legs for the top, a compartment provided beneath the top, cross bars connecting the front and rear legs for bracing the legs and for supporting and permitting of sliding movement of the chair thereon, resilient retaining elements secured to the inner surface of the cross bars, each of said elements being formed from a single piece of metal and including securing ears connected to the inner surface of the cross bars, laterally extending leaf springs arranged at right angles to the ears and disposed on the upper surface of the bars, and the free ends of the springs being offset and adapted for frictional engagement with the under surface of the seat of the chair for removably maintaining the upper surface of the seat of the chair in engagement with the bottom of the compartment to prevent accidental displacement of the chair.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS B. STOCKHAM.

Witnesses:

THADDEUS B. FOWLER, LEWIS R. BOND.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. O." 

